Large sums of funds that the Turkish community in Germany donated to a charity organization was transferred to the conservative media organs in Turkey, according to the suspects’ statements in a German court.


The claims in the case on a charity called “Deniz Feneri” (Lighthouse in English) also reached out to the head of Turkey’s media watchdog, Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK), who is a former executive of an Islamist media organ.

An executive from the charity and the charity’s accountant told before the German court that the donated funds collected from the people was transferred to the Turkish conservative media organs, Turkey’s Hurriyet daily reported.

“I understand that you financed Kanal 7 with the revenues of Deniz Feneri Charity. The money was used here because the company (Kanal 7) was struggling to survive. Kanal 7 TV channel, Media GmbH and Yeni Safak daily are each media organs. Every media organ has an aim. What aim do these media organs have?” the judge asked the accountant Firdevsi Ermis.

Ermis declined to answer the question directly but said the people in question were from “the conservative circles”.

RTUK CHAIRMAN INVOLVED IN CLAIMS
He said five people, including the RTUK Chairman Zahid Akman, were paid 32,000 euros per month as shareholder of Weiss GmbH, a fake company formed in Germany. Huge amounts of money were also paid to Akman directly, he added.

Weiss Gmbh is like hidden cash box of Deniz Feneri, and there have been money transfers between Beyaz Holding and Weiss GmbH (Beyaz in Turkish, Weiss in German mean White in English), Ermis and Mehmet Taksan, another executive of the charity, told before the court.

Beyaz Holding was founded in 1998, and it includes Beyaz Iletisim C.O. that was founded by Akman.

Taksan also said he brought 200,000 euros to Kanal 7 building in Turkey.

Seven million Euros were transferred from the Deniz Feneri Germany to the charity’s office in Turkey.

The executive boards of Beyaz Holding and Kanal 7 include almost the same people, the media reports said. These people are also among those five, claimed to be paid 32,000 euro per month.

Akman turned over his shares after appointed as the head of RTUK, but still he continues to be the partner of the holding unofficially, the suspects told the court.

Kanal 7 belonged to YIMPAS, a holding that was known with its connections to Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). Yeni Safak is also a pro-AKP newspaper published in Turkey.

Turkey's ruling AKP has been under fire from its opponents, who blame the government for promoting and supporting Islamist media organs to create media which is indirectly belonged to the party.

Deniz Feneri was established in 1997 and has been operating in Germany since 1999.

The German police raid of the Deniz Feneri and Kanal 7 offices in Frankfurt because of allegations of fraud and money laundering last year. Some officials were arrested by the police after the raid.

Trials in the case have been continuing for four days